Press Release l Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare

• There will be no shortage of funds for agriculture and rural development in Assam: Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan
• Funds allocated under MNREGA, special survey window for PMAY-G to be opened
• Union Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan meets Assam Chief Minister Shri Himanta Biswa Sarma in New Delhi

Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and Rural Development Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan met Assam Chief Minister Shri Himanta Biswa Sarma at Krishi Bhawan in New Delhi today to discuss subjects related to the State. In this high level meeting, the progress of various central schemes run by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in Assam was reviewed and wide-ranging discussions were held on several important issues.

In the meeting, Union Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that under the guidance of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, there will be no shortage of funds and resources for agriculture and rural development in Assam. He assured full support to the State in ensuring maximum benefits of Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF), Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Gramin (PMAY-G), MGNREGA and other Central schemes.

Speaking on the agenda of the Ministry of Rural Development, Secretary Shri Rohit Kansal informed that the technical bottlenecks in the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) and MNREGA systems have been completely resolved. Funds have been allocated under MNREGA as per the Assam government's demand. He also informed that the Vikas Bharat-Rozgar Evam Aajeevika Mission (Rural) will replace MNREGA across the country from July 1st.

The meeting lauded the Assam government's historic move to grant land ownership rights (Patta) to tea garden workers. The Union Minister announced that the central government will open a special survey window to digitally record the names of eligible beneficiaries so that  these workers receive the benefits of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin.

On this occasion, Union Minister Shri Chouhan handed over the draft of Agriculture Action Plan, prepared on the basis of the specific climatic and soil characteristics of Assam, to Chief Minister Shri Sarma. Several important decisions related to agriculture and rural development were agreed upon during the meeting.

Rural Development Ministry officials informed that Assam has achieved a remarkable progress towards women empowerment by creating over 9 lakh 'Lakhpati Didis', exceeding the target. Work will be accelerated in collaboration with incubators at Assam Agricultural University (AAU) to further strengthen these women's enterprises.

To strengthen the agriculture sector, the Central Government informed about the projects and funds approved in Assam under the Agricultural Mechanization and Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY). Shri Atish Chandra, Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, apprised the Chief Minister of efforts being made to provide agricultural power weeders to women farmers. The expansion of the National Mission on Edible Oils – Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) was also discussed.

To promote safe farming in the state, 1,500 new bamboo polyhouses have been approved this year. To strengthen agricultural infrastructure, buildings for a Pesticide Testing Lab and an Edible Oil Testing Lab have been approved under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY). Partnerships are being established with APEDA and the National Organic Cooperative Limited to promote international marketing and export of Assam's organic products, providing extensive handholding support to farmers.

Elaborate discussions on promotion of rich bio-diversity of Assam were also held in the meeting. Dr. M.L. Jat, Secretary DARE and Director General, ICAR informed that the existing centres of Assam Agricultural University will be further strengthened. Under this, All India Coordinated Research Programme for Spices and Network Programme for Development of State Flower 'Foxtail Orchid "will be conducted in collaboration with Institute of Floriculture, Pune. Resolution of pending cases related to retirement benefits and pension of employees of Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) was also discussed.

Shri Narendra Bhushan, Secretary, Department of Land Resources, informed that positive progress is being made towards digitization of land records in Assam.

Chief Minister Shri Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed gratitude to Union Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan for the support being provided by the Central Government for giving impetus to agriculture and rural development in the State.

Press Release l Vice President's Secretariat

• Deputy President of South Africa H.E. Mr Shipokosa Paulus Mashatile Meets Vice President Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan; Reaffirms Commitment to Deepening Bilateral relations

Deputy President of South Africa, H.E. Mr Shipokosa Paulus Mashatile, met the Vice President of India, Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan, at Uprashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi today, during his official visit to India. He was accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising senior Ministers and officials of the Government of South Africa.

The two leaders held productive discussions on further strengthening the India–South Africa bilateral relations, with a focus on trade, investment, defence cooperation, skills development, and enhancing people-to-people ties.

They also exchanged views on advancing the priorities of the Global South and enhancing cooperation in multilateral forums such as BRICS, G20, IBSA and IORA.

The leaders discussed ways to unlock the full potential of bilateral economic ties and emphasized the need to create a conducive environment for businesses and investors. In this context, the Vice President highlighted the proposed India–Southern African Customs Union (SACU) Preferential Trade Agreement and expressed hope for the early commencement and successful conclusion of negotiations.

Both sides welcomed the growing defence cooperation between the two countries and looked forward to expanding collaboration, including through future editions of the IBSAMAR naval exercise involving India, Brazil and South Africa.

The Vice President thanked South Africa for supporting India’s cheetah reintroduction programme through the transfer of cheetahs. Noting the encouraging progress of Project Cheetah, including successful breeding in the wild, he sought South Africa’s continued cooperation in this unique conservation initiative.

The Vice President also invited South Africa to consider joining India’s flagship multilateral initiatives,the International Solar Alliance (ISA), the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), and the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA), noting their alignment with shared development and sustainability objectives.

The meeting reaffirmed the shared commitment of India and South Africa to further strengthening their bilateral relations and working together for peace, prosperity, sustainable development, and the interests of the Global South.

The Vice President wished Deputy President Mashatile and the members of his delegation a productive and pleasant stay in India.

Press Release l Ministry of Information & Broadcasting

• WAVES OTT Crosses 1 Crore Users, Strengthening India's Public Service Digital Media Ecosystem
• WAVES OTT Becomes India's Most Diverse Public Streaming Destination with Free Access to 24,000 Titles and 140 Live Channels

WAVES OTT, Prasar Bharati's digital streaming platform, has crossed the landmark milestone of 1 crore (10 million) registered users, less than two years after its launch in November 2024.

The achievement marks a significant step in the growth of India's public digital media ecosystem and reflects the increasing adoption of indigenous digital platforms offering trusted, inclusive and diverse content to audiences in India and across the world.

Today, WAVES OTT hosts more than 24,000 content titles and over 15,000 hours of content across entertainment, news, education, culture, spirituality and public service genres. The platform offers over 140 live TV channels, over 200 radio services, live event streaming, educational content through PM eVidya channels, digital editions of Yojana, Kurukshetra and Rozgar Samachar, devotional streams from prominent temples, and thousands of hours of archival content from Prasar Bharati.

Available across mobile, web and connected TV devices, WAVES OTT now reaches audiences in more than 130 countries, offering content in multiple Indian languages and providing free access to a wide range of public-interest and entertainment programming.

Commenting on the milestone, Prasar Bharati stated that the achievement demonstrates the growing relevance of digital public service media in the digital age and validates the vision of creating a single destination for television, radio, on-demand content, education, culture and heritage.

The platform has witnessed sustained growth through continuous expansion of content offerings, strategic digital partnerships, wider device availability and enhanced user experience. Recent additions such as devotional live streams, educational content, digital publications, archival collections and live event coverage have further strengthened audience engagement.

With more than 1 crore registered users and over 1.4 crore downloads, WAVES OTT is now focused on its next phase of growth, including expansion of content partnerships, wider distribution across devices and platforms, strengthening of regional and educational content offerings, and achieving the target of 2 crore registered users by March 2027.

The milestone reinforces WAVES OTT's position as India's fastest-growing public service streaming platform and a digital showcase of India's culture, knowledge, heritage and creativity.

#BNHAF Awards sponsors #TKMU Season 1 Webseries

By - Aanya & Rani S.

World's only film festival that has Sanskrit category - #BNHAF Awards and Festival announced the launch of Talennt Ka Maha Utsav Season 1 Webseries at the 79th Cannes Film Festival that concluded on May 23, 2026.

#BNHAF that celebrated it's 25th Edition on multiple platforms at and during the Cannes Film Festival - Village International at Cannes Film Festival - Georgia pavilion, UK Pavilion and Film USA Pavilion, Hotels and Plages - announced that the webseries will premier on multiple OTT's on 26th December '26.

Rekha Vohraa, one of the most sought after astrologers and numerologists from India, said that she feels honored to be part of the webseries as the Creative Director. "I have been grooming models for top beauty pageants for years now, my thrust is on holistic grooming; #TKMU webseries provides me just that."

Dr. Kiran Modi, founder & Managing Trustee, Udayan Care said, "I am sure, this unique opportunity will help very constructively in the skilling and scaling of the Shalinis at Greater Noida chapter of Udayan Care. It is a unique opportunity that every Shalini, I am sure, wll cherish."

Deepak Sharma, Trustee, Udayan Care said "It is a great privilege for the Shalinis under Shalini fellowship program to be part of Talennt Ka Maha Utsav webseries. It is a unique opportunity that many youngsters can only dream of." 

Amit R Agrwal, cult filmmaker, with a full-360-circle of work behind him said, "the idea came, when I found many professionals pursuing a career, had a very artistic side to them that they are unable to explore, because of work-pressures. The program is designed both to release the pressure and to give each and every participant a credible and visibility-oriented platform - be it film, webseries, shots or reels".

The participants that will be introduced on the release of the webseries said that they are all excited to make their debut with Talennt Ka Maha Utsav".

Advertorial l 2nd International Sugar Conference l News Capsule l Praveen Gupta

By - Bhaarat Bol News Team

• The 2nd International Conference on Sugar Industry was a huge success
• Want to know, what is the latest trend and the latest solutions in the global sugar industry
• Watch the news-capsule series featuring who's who of the Sugar Industry

Cinema l Obsession (2025) and the obsession around it's success!

By - Amit kumaR Agarwal

Half knowledge is no knowledge!

This saying is so true in the case of cinema, or for that matter any other business.

A lot of hullabaloo is being made out of the success of Obsession - "1 Million dollar movie made 100 million dollars and stuff".

Really?

While the news about the production-budget is true; the film's success came after it was acquired by a major studio, Focus Features (a division of Universal Pictures, studio behind iconic films like Fast & Furious franchise). 

The film was acquired for a whopping 14 million dollars and pushed into the market with intelligent creative-campaign - the landing cost of the film as per trade experts is pegged between $25Mn to $35Mn.

If we look traditionally, there have been such huge success stories in all the film-industries of the world - common thread being, a major studio has to jump in to back the film!

In Hollywood, we've had Paranormal Activity (2007) - but again, it was backed by none other than, one of the biggest film-makers of all time, Steven Spielberg.

While the film has already pipped the much touted Star Wars new film to number 2; the challenge will be, whether the sequels of Obsession, generate the same BO numbers.

India @ Cannes l #BNHAF @ Film USA Pav

By - Aanya

The 25th Edition of #BNHAF Awards and Festival kicked off in style at the 79th Cannes Film Festival, with multiple events across pavilions, hotels and plages.

#BNHAF's Artistic Director, Amit R Agrwal, met with the Palm Beach Film Commissioner, the very effervescent, Michelle Hillery and discussed about setting up a film project and a talent IP at the beautiful and scenic locales of Palm Beach county, Florida, USA.

Agrwal presented Hillery with the poster of the 25th Edition of #BNHAF Awards and Festival, and #TKMU Season 2, that was showcased. Agrwal, also announced 90% fee-waiver to all film-makers from the beautiful county of Palm Beach at the upcoming Gala Edition of #BNHAF Awards and Festival 

Agrwal also gifted the sponsor gift from the Indian Jewelry brand, Gem Mines to Michelle Hillery. Michelle was all appreciative about the beautiful design of the jewelry.

Amit Gupta, Founder, Gem Mines said, "We are the best in our category of jewelry worldwide, and it is a pleasure to gift few of our iconic jewelry items to the very best at the Cannes Film Festival".

Rekha Vohraa, Head of Jury (India), #BNHAF Awards and Festival, said, "year after year I am very happy to nurture and appreciate, new talent, the future of the world - through the two verticals #BNHAF and Talennt Ka Maha Utsav". 

Agrwal hoped that very soon, he and his circle of film-makers will be visiting Palm Beach to explore filming opportunities and creating win-win creative-synergies.

Advertorial l 2nd International Sugar Conference l News Capsule l Vijay S. Banka

By - Bhaarat Bol News Team

• The 2nd International Conference on Sugar Industry was a huge success
• Want to know, what is the latest trend and the latest solutions in the global sugar industry
• Watch the news-capsule series featuring who's who of the Sugar Industry

India @ Cannes l Marianne Borgo walks Cannes Red Carpet

By - Amit kumaR Agarwal

The legendary French Actress, now based in India, Marianne Borgo, has been making waves on the Cannes Red Carpet year after year. 2006 edition of Cannes was no different.

At 79, Marianne, walked the Red Carpet with filmmakers and actors for company.

She said. "of course, when you have the icket you can walk the red-carpet; but ask the people around, how tough it is, to get the coveted ticket!"

Marianne, after Cannes will be back in India, "but I promise to return to the Red Carpet at the 80th edition of Cannes Film Festival", Marianne smiles as she signs off.

Advertorial l 2nd International Sugar Conference l News Capsule l Deepak Guptara

By - Bhaarat Bol News Team

• The 2nd International Conference on Sugar Industry was a huge success
• Want to know, what is the latest trend and the latest solutions in the global sugar industry
• Watch the news-capsule series featuring who's who of the Sugar Industry

News Shorts l Ring Gantry-based Linear Accelerator

By - Amit kumaR Agarwal

A Ring Gantry-based Linear Accelerator was commissioned into the Department of Radiation Oncology at Army Hospital (Research & Referral), in the presence of Defence Secretary, Rajesh Kumar Singh, in Delhi on May 25, 2026.

This commission is seen as a major fillip to the facilities available at the Army Hospital. This will also add to the healthcare infrastructure available at the facility. 

News Shorts l ICMR Medical Innovations Patent Mitra

By - Amit kumaR Agarwal

The Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Ayush and Health and Family Welfare, Prataprao Jadhav attends the “ICMR Medical Innovations Patent Mitra: Innovators-to-Industry Connect (I2I Connect) – 2026” conclave organized by the Indian Council of Medical Research under the Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare at Manekshaw Centre, in New Delhi on May 25, 2026.

The conclave is designed to foster medical innovations in various sectors involved with medicine and healthcare and give a definitive boost to the healthcare sector.